If you’ve had a stent placed in the arteries to help supply blood to your heart, or a procedure that restored regular heart rate and rhythm such as an ablation, pacemaker or a defibrillator, you may feel like once you’ve been discharged from the hospital, you’re good to go. But most people discover such procedures are life-altering events and they need to protect their hearts (and their lives) by eating healthier, exercising more, managing their stress, taking medications and monitoring any implanted devices.

Greg Thorne, Elkhart, had no symptoms of heart problems when he went in for a routine physical with his family doctor. All his vital signs checked out and he felt healthy. When his doctor mentioned a $49 heart screening (to check his calcium score) for people over 50, Greg thought it sounded like a good idea, even if he didn’t need it.

Remarkable and durable as the heart is, it still requires proper care. According to Naturopathic Provider Sonam Desai, good heart health involves addressing three key factors: nutrition, physical activity and stress management.

Out of breath when you climb stairs or walk to the mailbox? Feel tired all the time? You may think it’s normal signs of aging. Your doctor – and your heart – may know better.

Cardiac rehabilitation seemed like the right place for Jim Wildermuth to volunteer. He had completed his rehab at the Goshen Heart & Vascular Center after a heart attack in 2008. That meant he knew the routine, how he could help and what patients might need.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a condition that develops when the arteries that supply blood to the arms or legs become completely or partially blocked as a result of atherosclerosis.

At the most recent Thrive! Event, Blair MacPhail, MD, an interventional cardiologist on the Goshen Heart & Vascular Center team, spoke to a full room of 36 people about the behaviors that make a difference to the prevention and restoration of heart and vascular health.

At a presentation on coronary artery disease earlier this year, Abrar Sayeed, MD, discussed the connection between certain types of leg pain that can be helpful in diagnosing peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD is considered the equivalent of a coronary artery disease.

Heather Hanes knew smoking might cause a problem in her lungs. But she had no idea smoking also caused heart attacks. Until her own on April 4.

On the morning of Jan. 19 Jackie Pressler, administrative assistant at Lippert Components, was at work. She was having a very rapid heartbeat – or spells, as she thought of them – which she had managed in the past by clenching up her muscles. But that morning, her technique wasn’t working. Finally after several hours, her supervisor called Pressler’s husband, Ronald, to take her to the hospital.